Fuse's Hold by E.C. Land (books for students to read TXT) 📕

“Lyrica, I do. You’ve been through hell, but so have I. I haven’t stopped looking for you the entire time you’d been missing. Swear to fuck, baby, you are the only thing I could focus on. I needed to get you back and didn’t know if I’d see you again. You haunted my dreams and every thought—you’re mine. I’ll help you heal in order to get past this all,” he rasps gravelly.

“But I’m not worth it. They didn’t just break me, Fuse, they destroyed any part of who I am. You’re better off without me,” I whisper, tears spilling down my cheeks.

“Ma douce, I know you think that now, but I’m not gonna give up on you. Let me worry about holding on to you and guide you through it. I’ve got you,” he mutters, causing my heart to shutter.

Lifting my gaze to his, I find his eyes looking at me with something I rarely saw in them when he looked at me, but it’s also mixed with what I’ll assume is determination.

Determination to do as he says he wants and that’s holding on to me.

Chapter Five

Fuse

The first time I saw her again, my heart plummeted straight to my stomach. Not only that but a wave of anger I’ve never felt before. One my dad told me consumed every man in our family, or so his father told him.

I’d been ready to rip those assholes apart before for taking my woman. Now, I want to make their pain feel tenfold for what Lyrica has felt.

Over the past week, I’ve not once left the hospital. Mountain and his men pulled up to the clubhouse with her. Angelina took one look and demanded she be taken straight to the hospital where she works. The woman is a bad woman when she needs to do something. They tried to get me to leave, but like Angelina, I refused. But Pitch Black finally talked some sense into his ol’ lady due to her being pregnant. They’d only just found out a few weeks before and were keeping it to themselves at Angelina’s request; however, I got put in the conversation as well when my brother stated she needed to also think of their kid she was carrying.

Throughout this time, my brothers have taken turns coming up to bring me food and clothes. I shower in the room’s small as fuck bathroom, but it works for what I need it for. The ol’ ladies come up and spend time as well, Faith especially. She and Lyrica are more like sisters and she’s feeling it as deep as I am that Ly was hurt in such a way.

I made a vow to myself, while waiting for Angelina to bring news back, when I’d been waiting in the ER’s waiting room. I vowed to hunt them down and make them pay. Cut, the Montana charter medic, he told me something that she’d said about killing a man and how she’d wanted to die.

There’s a battle ahead of me in regard to my woman’s healing and I’v e got a lot of work ahead of me.

With her being put into an induced coma, I’d been freaked the fuck out at the thought of her not ever waking up.

Then to wake up to her staring at me, I felt all my emotions at one time. I knew I needed to take things slow with her. Ease her into everything. Help her overcome all the bullshit she’d been through. But I needed for myself to let her know I’m with her every step of the way. That she’s mine and I’m not giving up on her. I needed her to know that even if she doesn’t want it right now, I’m holding onto what we have or could have.

After I made my determination known, I hit the call button to the nurses’ station and told them she’s awake.

Angelina came rushing in and immediately went into doctor mode to take care of her friend. I sit in my chair, staying directly next to Lyrica. Anyone needing to do anything can do it from the other side. I’m not moving. I refuse to be farther away than I have to be from her side.

Pulling out my phone, I shoot a group text to all my brothers, letting them know Lyrica’s awake.

Lyrica doesn’t speak during the time Angelina is in here. She simply nods or shakes her head. I also notice Lyrica doesn’t meet her friend’s eyes head-on. Instead, she cast them to the side.

Finally, alone again, I don’t say anything but rather reach out and hold her hand, allowing her to merely feel.

When Lyrica speaks again, she shocks the hell out of me. “You’re the only thing I thought about when they had me. I dreamed about you when they allowed me time to sleep,” she whispers mutely that I swear I didn’t hear her right, but I know I did.

“Ly,” I rasp, giving her hand a small squeeze.

“No, please don’t say anything, I’m tired and want to go to sleep, but I wanted to tell you first, thank you. You kept me sane when I wanted to be anything but. Your presence makes me feel safe, so I can finally sleep peacefully knowing you’re here,” she murmurs, this time meeting my gaze head-on.

What do you say to something like that?

“Sleep, ma douce, you’re safe and I’ll be here when you wake up. I’m not going anywhere,” I tell her and clear my throat. She’s my world and I don’t know if she even understands any of it. But I’m starting to, and I’ll do everything in my fuckin’ power to keep Lyrica feeling safe.

There’s no ifs, ands, or buts about it. I will, or I’ll die trying.

I watch as her eyes flutter closed, and she falls asleep once again. Sitting forward, I lift her hand, cautious of the IV in the back of her hand.